Saturday, March 15, 2008

DONOR WEEKEND ALERT!!!!

Let the drinking begin!! Today is the start of our annual Irish Inebriation Celebration, culminating this Monday night with St. Patrick's Day.

Chicago has a kick off parade at noon. This morning the river will be dyed green to match the hair, hats, and painted faces of the stoned blarneys named O'Blonsky, O'Smith, and O'Nelson lining the parade route. Everybody's Irish for the next few days. For most that doesn't mean learning to bagpipe, sing Danny Boy, or talk like Colin Farrell. It just means getting drunk.

I'm guessing, but this may be the single most alcoholic weekend of the year. While most holidays make a pretense of celebrating something, like the new year, or rabbits laying eggs, does St. Patrick's Day serve any other purpose besides imbibification?

Since nothing goes better with drinking than driving, there will also be roadkill. 

The good news is that there are thousands of people sitting on death row -- transplant lists to be more accurate -- waiting for new livers, new hearts, new lungs, new kidneys, new corneas, new skin, new bones, and any number of other replacement parts.

So holidays take on new meaning when you don't know whether you'll be alive for the next one. You look forward to the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas with greater anticipation when you're waiting for an organ that could save your life.

Even faux holidays like Super Bowl weekend, prom night, homecoming, and of course, St. Patrick's Day provide hope for those who wait, because wherever there's drinking there's going to be death by driving. That's why families of people waiting for transplants call them Donor Holidays.

So, as a public service, I have come up with a slogan to encourage a successful holiday experience -- for some people at least.  You can copy it, blow it up, print it out and tape it to your bumper with my permission.

KEEP TRANSPLANT HOPES ALIVE -- DRINK AND DRIVE!!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's why I love you so much. You're soooo subtle.

Anonymous said...

God I miss those days ;(!!  I quit drinking 20 years ago!  rose

Anonymous said...

"Keep transplant hopes alive -- drink and drive!!"

...preferably on a motorcycle!

Anonymous said...

I'm just guessing...
you're not Irish (?)

Anonymous said...

Geez, you guys are just starting today?  Our Parade was yesterday (Friday)  I think Savannah's over indulgence started on Thursday night.
Sam

Anonymous said...

Actually, there was another parade last weekend, so the drinking got started days ago.

Mrs. L

Anonymous said...

Mrs L, you have acquired a new fan; I like the sound of your voice in your writing.   Interesting slogan for future organ donors, I’ve written it down on specific things to remember.   After reading your entry about your Aunt’s passing, I’m more fearful of growing older, without any relatives to care for me, and in the hands of the emergency med’s that will handling me like they did your Aunt.  I am 66, still a driver, and fear retirement.  

Anonymous said...

This may be sacrilege, but does anyone really know the lyrics to Danny Boy?  Or  is it another one of those songs that people start off strong, then fade to "hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hey, let's have another toast?"  :p

Of course, if Colin forgot the words, I wouldn't notice.  I bet his 'hmm, hmm, hmm' still sounds pretty good.   lol
Anna

Anonymous said...

And keep driving those donorcycles!

xxoo

Anonymous said...

Even better are the people who ride motorcycles without helmets.    We can call them road kill, or if someone is just brain dead, call them an organ doner.